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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

In another conversation with the wisest man I know, he
provided an insightful view of what it has meant to be human. From childhood,
we are told what it means to be human. Except, no one knows how the idea of
being human was created. And we live with the belief that what we have learned
about being human is the truth that has been written in stone.

In this conversation he got straight to the point. It was as
though he had been waiting with abated breath to expound on his discoveries and
recite them to me in a way that would disrupt what I called reality.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Sometimes you hear about managers who do not communicate
clearly or effectively.They may
be concerned that people know they lack knowledge about a topic.As a result, the manager keeps thoughts
to herself.Other times, a leader
may be afraid of being wrong.So
they do not allow for engaging conversations that promote disagreement.When this happens, there is a much
larger impact on the organization as a whole if the managers are not having the
right conversations with employees.

The obvious outcome is a dysfunctional organization where no
one communicates clearly because leadership has set the tone.I ask that you consider other important
issues.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

A formal education is a great place to gather information. To ensure we memorize that
information, we are given homework and class assignments. Then the instructor
administers tests to see how much information we retained. If you pass those
tests, many believe they have earned the title of being the best at their
craft. What those people fail to realize is that they only know information. To
be the best, takes training and practice. In most cases, that requires a specific
focus on initiatives to develop mastery of skills and competencies.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

I often tell people they have nothing to do with what they think,
say and do. As you can imagine, the overwhelming majority refute that
statement. They make the claim they have everything to do with what they think
and do. In fact, they believe they have control over themselves. I say control
is a myth and it’s a waste of time to focus on it. If you think about it, one
cannot even stop the bedlam that occurs in one’s mind. Take it a step further –
each of us has inherited that bedlam. Here’s how it starts...

When someone claims to be in control of themselves, I ask a series
of questions. The questions begin as follows:

Miracle-Gro generates 64% of their revenue from home
improvement stores like Home Depot. However, with people hesitant about the economy,
sales are down. So the CEO of Miracle-Gro, Jim Hagedorn, says he is looking for

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

In the 1950s, the US was responsible for approximately 30% of
international trade. Today, the US accounts for only 10%. After WWII, much of
the world was in shambles. They depended on the US to supply capital, labor,
services and materials. In the 21st Century, those same countries that depended
on us are our competitors.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

In a past article, I
wrote about a conversation with the wise gentleman I know. In that conversation, he suggested people stop funding homelessness. With no surprise,
many were offended. Why is that? Is it because helping the homeless has become
synonymous with looking good? By that, it makes one look like an honorable
person for helping needy victims. Yet, it does very little to empower society
and move us forward. In fact, the homeless population continues to grow.

In a subsequent
conversation with this gentleman, he made a number of clear suggestions that
would move society forward and provide a long-term solution to eradicate
homelessness. It would require funding brilliant people like

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Once again, I sat down with the wisest person I’ve ever met.
In this conversation, he and I brainstormed about the educational system. As
with all of my conversations with him, I experienced the sensation of being educated
about subjects I may not have considered. This dialogue was no different. As
usual, he leads with questions.

He asked me if I knew the etymology of the word education.
That led me to Wikipedia. There I learned that etymologically, the word "education" is derived from the
Latin

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

In another conversation with the wisest gentleman I’ve ever
met, he expounded on a blind spot of society. This time he kind of made my head
spin. And I write this post with great hesitation. He uncovered a societal motive
that is intended to be in the best interest of all. However, it has done more
harm than good. The challenge, he said, is to undo a wrong which is believed to be right.

He started the conversation by discussing how this mentality
works in a corporation. In his example, he stated the following: in any
enterprise there can be

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

With the proliferation of talk shows and the Internet, there
are far too many resources that provide advice.How do you distinguish what advice is appropriate for you
when different gurus provide conflicting suggestions?With that said, it’s not hard to understand why so many
people are confused and continue to make poor decisions.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of speaking
with and receiving advice from a gentleman who may be considered the wisest on
the planet. While he sees the greatness in all people, his advice confronts

When you watch the news, it becomes apparent there’s some level of
dysfunction in society. Yet, it’s possible to say it’s no one’s fault. In the
early 80s we gained access to microwave ovens. It allowed us to prepare or heat
food in an instant. What impact did that have on society? Before that, there
was the late 60s. That is when divorce laws were changed to

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Fables are part of US culture. They can even be bedtime stories for children. As a
result, we live with fables as though they are an essential part of life. To
clarify, a fable is not storytelling, even though there is a story being told.
It is not gossip, even though it may be the source of gossip. A fable is a false or inaccurate account of something. When
you distinguish it in someone’s conversation, it becomes clear that a fable is
an account of an occurrence with an addition that represents the speaker’s
inaccurate interpretation of the event or encounter with another. If I say it
another way, it happens when we add our version of the story. That version will
almost always represent

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

In a way, the quote above says it all. However, I would like
to peel this conversation in layers, like peeling an onion. I will take this
opportunity to uncover why some people are only comfortable with smooth seas or
situations. And others will comfortably sail into the storm.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

There are few who acquire the title CEO. Those who do are
capable of making a huge commitment and have an abundance of talent and
ambition. However, CEOs who lack effective succession plans find themselves
overwhelmed and missing opportunities to build thriving enterprises.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

My
fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do
for your country. – John F. Kennedy

In the US, corporate America has become the enemy. It is
seen as the greed machine that steals money, destroys the environment, imposes
its products and services on the innocent and enslaves its workers. Yet, it is
the very hand that feeds the nation through jobs, training, income, travel and
many other opportunities. Are we

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

“If you can find a
path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” –Frank A. Clark

Leadership is the ability to accomplish initiatives through
others. To do that, you need teams. When a team shares the same values and
vision, they gel better as a group.However, with diverse thinkers, religions and so on, there must be
effective management tools to keep people aligned. Below is a brief outline of
three strategies to lead diverse teams and disperse silos.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Because this article contains many earth shattering
counterintuitive insights, it is most difficult to write. I have succinctly
outlined a path that contains some of the greatest rewards of transformation.
Yet, it is the one that is least traveled.

“Make no mistake about it – enlightenment is a
destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being
happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It’s seeing through
the façade of the pretense. It’s the complete eradication of everything we
imagined to be true.” – Adyashanti

Clearly enlightenment is not for the faint of heart.
Enlightenment without transformation is

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

In our society, we are taught to have an opinion and speak
our minds. What we are not taught to do is listen. We are so focused on our
opinion that we often fail to hear what is being communicated to us.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

In an era of capitalism, there is one thing that is desired
more than money. Yet, when people find it, they fight it, run from it or freeze
in a panic. What could be desired so deeply and feared at the same time? If you guessed love, you are correct.

The very thing we claim to want most is the very thing we
fear most. This dichotomy has perplexed psychologists, anthropologists and
sociologists for generations. And perhaps the solution is

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

For decades, we have heard the chants: find your passion and
only do what you love. Yet, if you observe, there are many people who have a
new passion every week, month and year. While they are passionate, their desire
to constantly change passions rarely allows them to master what they love. On
the other hand, the highly committed person masters their craft and experiences
the joy of being the best.